Natural Disasters, Calamities and Catastrophes by Charles Spurgeon The Sovereign Hand

Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. All calamities are under the control of the Almighty. Nothing happens apart from His decree, not even the fall of a sparrow. Providence is intricately interwoven with every event. Even the sweeping of a storm across the sea is but a thread in the tapestry of His eternal design. No storm, earthquake, or loss occurs beyond God's command.

Providence directs every atom, Sovereign mercy in the storm. The Lord has his way in the whirlwind and storm. Brethren, storms are God's chariots. He rides upon the wings of the wind. Every tempest is his servant. He rides upon what to us appears chaotic, accomplishing eternal purposes unseen to finite minds.

The comfort of divine sovereignty. We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. There is no attribute of God more comforting to His children than the doctrine of divine sovereignty. When adversity strikes, it comforts the heart to know that our pain is not purposeless. Our sovereign Lord uses all things for our good and His glory.

The Storm's Sermon

for he commanded and raised the stormy wind. Brethren, every wind is a preacher, every tempest is a text. God commands them, and they obey. The natural world declares God's glory. Even disaster is a sermon on divine majesty and creature dependence.

The Ultimate Refuge

The name of the Lord is a strong tower. Those who trust in the Lord are safe, though the world collapses around them. Our security is not geographical or physical, it is theological. Safe in Christ means immunity to ultimate ruin.

God's Hammer

I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. Affliction is no thunderbolt to crush us, but a gentle hammer to shape us for eternity. Every trial molds believers for heaven. Sanctification is the divine art of hammering hardened hearts into Christ-likeness.

Providence vs. Mother Nature

Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it? Disaster is not by chance, it is the deliberate voice of Providence. If God is sovereign over His creation, then no flood, no fire, no famine nor plague can loosen one stone of His purpose. Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.